Cafe Clock is pleased to showcase the work of Zineb El Ouardi and Mahdi Messouli in an exhibition running through January 2015. This is Cafe Clock\’s third exhibition since the cafe\’s inauguration in February of 2014. The opening exhibition was a collaboration with the Yakin and Boaz Gallery of Casablanca, which was followed with a show by the Marrakech-based Mint Collective.

Zineb El Ouardi has painted since childhood and is a student of the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Casablanca. Her work explores the figurative and abstract. In search of her own style and technique, she first painted in black and white from 2010 to 2012. In her recent works, her creative quest seeks expressive fluidity. She plays with vibrant forms and compositions the female body in order to portray Moroccan human strength and womanhood.

Photographer Mahdi Messouli is a Marrakech native whose passion for photography developed at the age of ten, when he began playing with his father’s old cameras. Mehdi studied tourism and hotel management and has recently shifted his focus to photography full time. His artistic journey has been self-directed and he challenges himself to constantly explore art and photography and to think outside the box. He enjoys all genres of photography and the range of his works reflects the wide scope of his interests. Mehdi\’s pursuit of new experiences pushes the continual evolution of his vision and he endeavors to carry his camera with humor, compassion and curiosity.

Cafe Clock is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. We hope you will have the opportunity to discover the works of these talented artists!

Today Café Clock’s storytelling program postponed its usually scheduled storytelling practice to travel to Douar Ladaam, 20 minutes outside of Marrakech, so that the storytellers could volunteer their time with the girls of Project Soar. Project Soar empowers young girls living near Peacock Pavilions through art and sports activity. Today’s activity was storytelling!

After the girls introduced themselves and went through a series of affirmations (I am strong!), one of our apprentices, Malika spoke to them about the importance of keeping Morocco’s storytelling tradition alive. Malika kept her audience enrapt, as she shared with them a fable about a clever woman, who proved that women are trickier than men. Malika, herself, is one of Morocco’s first female storytellers and hoped to impart upon workshop participants the message that they too can learn the traditional craft.

Once the story concluded, Malika and her colleagues, Jawad and Mehdi broke the group up into pairs to give the Project Soar girls a chance to weave their own tales. We heard many creative stories and at the end several courageous girls shared their stories with the larger group. Finally, Lhaj Ahmed Ezzarghani wove his own narrative for the group. Lhaj and the apprentices agreed that all of the young ladies had the makings of creative storytellers and all hope to work with these budding talents in the future!

The oud (or ud) is one of the most popular instruments in Middle Eastern music and it is considered the king, sultan or emir of musical instruments. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to play this beautiful instrument, or if you already know how to play and are looking for a good teacher to work things out with you in person, you are in luck.

Cafe Clock offers a 90-minute workshop to novices and professional musicians alike on the basics as well as the intricacies of playing the oud. Don’t worry if you didn’t bring your oud with you — or even if you’ve never handled an oud in your life! Our oud teacher will provide an instrument for you.

As you probably know, Cafe Clock is coming to the Marrakech Kasbah. Of late, the offerings of the Kasbah are developing in interesting ways and Cafe Clock brings a zone of cross-cultural activities to the neighborhood. I went exploring in the Kasbah, recently, with a Marrakshi friend, Youssef, to get to better get to know our new stomping grounds.

This is the intersection outside of Clock \’Kech. You can see two ladies carrying trays to the neighborhood ferran, or public oven, to drop off their bread to be baked. To the right, there are three people near the doorway of the local hammam, or public bath. Foreigners often visit Marrakech and pay over 200 Moroccan Dirhams (Dh) to get scrubbed down, but here at Hammam l-Ksbah, entry is 12 Dh and a good scrub is another 50 Dh. There are two hammams (one for men and one for women) with each made up of three rooms. The locals believe it to be over 100 years old. In earlier times, a family might rent out the entire hammam for themselves or for wedding preparation. They paid by how many tubs of water were used. Youssef was told that there were times when the hammam was NOT gender segregated. I don\’t know that I understand the logistics of this and I\’m going to do some more research! Finally, the Ultras referred to in the graffiti artwork are the Ultras Crazy Boys, Marrakech\’s club football team.

Youssef introduced me to Marrakshi Crazy Bread. Perhaps, it\’s what the Ultras Crazy Boys eat because it\’s meant to make you crazy strong–like a beast. Crazy Bread consists of khobs, round Moroccan bread, stuffed with potatoes, mayo, kesher (processed meat), and rice. It\’s meant to be an alternative to the spiced meat brochette sandwiches eaten with onions and tomatoes, which can also be found on the opposite side of Rue de la Kasbah. Yet another place in Marrakech where modern and traditional compete–in my opinion spiced brochettes beat carb sandwiches every time!

Cafe Clock\’s new home on Derb Chtouka, is a short walk from the Saadian Tombs and Mosque el Mansour (pictured here). Between Cafe Clock and the Saadian Tombs there are shops selling tangia (a specialty of Marrakech–meat slow-cooked for 6-8 hours and traditionally prepared by men); carts with boiled barbouche, snails; and paintings of surprising scenes (a woman giving birth or a man having a tooth pulled) covering wooden tablets traditionally used for transcribing the Koran. You can find calligraphers, wood workers, drum makers and Marrakech\’s Artisanal Complex. If you\’re not keen to try the crazy bread, there\’s a guy who sells traditional svenj, Moroccan-style donuts, from a small storefront at 275 rue de la Kasbah. But don\’t ruin your appetite before you get to Cafe Clock because you may want to indulge in an enormous Camel Burger or an Almond Milkshake!

Café Clock’s upcoming opening will feature a menu created by head chef Tariq Hadine. Tariq supported owner Mike Richardson in opening Café Clock in Fez six-and-a half years ago and is excited about the opportunity to go through the process again—this time in Marrakech. Between these two openings, this native Fassi has traveled to the United States, where he gained experience working for a high-volume restaurant, where over 1,000 people could be served at a single meal. He’s happy to be back in Morocco where he is closer to his friends and family. We sat down with him to learn the secrets of Café Clock’s kitchen.

Café Clock: What is your favorite Moroccan meal?

Tariq: I’ve got so many actually… If I have to chose… There’s prune and lamb tagine or couscous tfaya (sweet couscous with caramelized onions and raisins)

Café Clock: Do you prefer cooking or eating?

Tariq: Both. But, I would probably say cooking more than eating.

Café Clock: Are you a better cook than your mother?

Tariq: Oh never. No. I want to be like my mother, which is why I keep learning. She’s a great cook and so is my grandmother. They are my icons—they inspire me. You should see them when they are cooking for a party—it’s really amazing. Sometimes it’s more enjoyable to sit and watch them work than attend the party—because of the smells and the flavors… it’s so yummy.

Café Clock: What kinds of food to you specialize in?

Tariq: Moroccan cuisine is my passion. I thought before that it was easy when I sat with mom and grandmother. Now, that I work in the industry, I see how many other ways there are of doing things. I love Moroccan cuisine and also enjoy fusion. For example, there’s a famous Essaouira tagine-quiche. First you make a chicken tagine and then add olives and eggs and bake in oven… I like to add cheese and cream to make it more quiche-y. It’s actually similar to a South African dish called Boboti that’s a bit similar with different spices. It’s ground meat with eggs in it—quiche style. For that I use rasl-hanout (Moroccan spice blends) and cinnamon rather than curry.

Café Clock: What is your favorite kind of dish to prepare?

Tariq: I have so many favorites—it’s hard to pick just one. Harira (Moroccan soup) is special, of course. Working in different places made it interesting for me because I saw many ways to make it. I also read about it. I worked for a lady who worked for the king’s family… She really liked my harira because I used my mom’s recipe. She told me it was how it should be, which made me proud and it made me want to encourage others to make their harira this way.

Most people can make harira in 30 minutes, but it should be done in 1.5 to two hours (if a big batch). To have the best harira, you have to use fresh chick peas soaked in water (instead of canned). Boil tomatoes for 25 minutes before blending so that they lose acidity and to enhance the flavor. Finally, instead of just putting all of the ingredients together to cook; rather you should take steps: first cook chick peas with onions, herbs and tomato juice (after boiling and blending), then thicken soup, and finally, season and add coriander.

Café Clock: What makes Moroccan cooking special?

Tariq: It’s the multi-cultural influences of a lot of cultures: Arab, Berber, Jewish, Andalouz… I’m so glad to have the opportunity to learn this kind of cuisine. Moroccan Harira, for example, varies from city to city.

Café Clock: Which Moroccan city has the best cuisine?

Tariq: Fez of course. Fez is the best. If you ask this to anyone in Morocco they will definitely agree (even if they don’t like Fez. Fez is one of the oldest cities and was the capital and it was influenced by so many cultures.

Café Clock: You recently found a vendor for camel meat…

Tariq: I was getting a little worried because I had already visited five or six butchers who said that I wouldn’t find it inside Marrakech. But Khalid got a tip and we went to souksebt (a market in Marrakech) and there’s a guy who provides fresh camel meat for families. They order and he delivers.

Café Clock: But it’s easier to find camel meat in Fez?

Tariq: There are about three butchers in Fez who sell camel meat, so it’s easier there. A lot of people believe that camel meat is healthy, which is probably why some families ask for it. In many Arab cultures, the camel is nearly sacred because our Prophet used to ride camels. That probably encourages people to think the camel is special, though many Moroccans probably haven’t tried it.

Café Clock: What do you think the new café will bring to Marrakech?

Tariq: In terms of food, Marrakshis will have their first camel burger! I’ll be trying to bring some Fassi flavors to Marrakech. And Café Clock will be the first really cross-cultural café in Marrakech—it’s different from every other café here. We really try to bring Moroccans and foreigners together with food and cultural activities.

Café Clock: What is it like to be a part of the Café Clock team?

Tariq: It’s a family more than a team and there’s a great energy. It’s beautiful… the ways that we work together to… you feel like you’re working for a family. You don’t just come for a salary. You want to make guests and your co-workers happy and share positive energy with everyone around you. I think Café Clock is different from other restaurants in the way that we all support each other.

Café Clock: What is it that makes this dynamic possible?

Tariq: Part of the answer is Mike [Tariq laughs]. He brought this kind of energy. He tells you what’s going on and you tell him what’s going on. This sharing helps everyone to make the best decisions about how the restaurant functions. Café Clock is more than people just working to get a salary and to go home. Mike brings people together. Because we\’re having a good time, love goes into the preparation and service at Café Clock.

Our Clock chefs will share with you the traditional techniques and recipes that they learned from their mothers and grandmothers. Upon arrival, students select the menu items they would like to learn to prepare. Then it’s off on a shopping tour of the local souk where we source our ingredients. Back at the Clock, then it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work and learn the secrets of Moroccan cuisine. The hard work pays off when enjoying the results on the rooftop terrace.

Learn to prepare traditional tajines and salads or take a specialty course in Moroccan breads or patisseries.

Sara Mouhi is a 24-year-old teacher-trainee at the American Language Center and a graduate of the English program at Cadi Ayyad University. Her students say that she can teach vocabulary without words by relying upon her expressive gesticulation.

Cafe Clock: What does it mean to you to be among the first female storytellers in Moroccan history?

Sara: Maybe this is how the women taxi drivers feel.

Cafe Clock: Is it hard to translate the humor of Moroccan stories to the English language?

Sara: If I’m telling an American joke to Americans they will laugh, but if I translate that joke to tell it to Moroccans, they won’t laugh. It’s the same if I tell a Moroccan joke to Americans—sometimes humor doesn’t translate. Language is so important to humor—if the words you chose aren’t funny, it doesn’t matter whether the person is funny or not. The other storytellers and I are working hard to find the right way to tell our stories so that English-speakers will find them funny.

Cafe Clock: Can you explain the way the stories impact you?

Sara: The stories are really effective in teaching morals. When I think about the moral to a particular story, I get flashbacks to my life and the experiences related to the moral. I remember a person who envied me who had problems because of his envy and realize it’s like the character in the story who falls in a trap because of his envy.

Cafe Clock: What’s your goal as a storyteller?

Sara: What’s really nice about the stories is that they make you go back in time. The storyteller creates a virtual world. While you listen to the story you get transported to another world. I want the audience to feel as though they’re a part of the experience.

Malika Ben Allal is 22 years old and in her second year studying English at Caddi Ayyad University.

Cafe Clock: What made you want to join the storytelling program?

Malika: I wanted to improve my English and learn the old Moroccan stories.

Cafe Clock: Why are you interested in learning these stories?

Malika: The stories are so interesting! When I hear them I feel like watching a movie. The best part is that I’m able to improve my English by translating the stories. It’s a wonderful mental challenge to translate the stories. The stories help you to be wise by giving examples of other people’s experience. I don’t want to make the mistakes that the people in the stories make. I will be more careful about what I do.

Cafe Clock: What is it like to work with Haj [our master storyteller]?

Malika: It’s so much fun. The way he tells the stories makes me feel as though he’s my grandfather or someone like that. I feel like I’m with my family when I’m working with the team. It puts me in a good mood. Haj tells us really interesting Moroccan stories. Normally, you have to pay to learn to listen to the stories. And, he lets us take notes—normally you couldn’t do that at the Halqa circle. He tells us secrets about human nature. The stories show us how society thinks about women. He tells us how men think about women and how they used to marry many women, but didn’t value them. The stories give us lessons indirectly.

Oussama Ben is a 22 year old graduate of Cadi Ayyad University’s physics program.

Cafe Clock: Is there a difference between the way that men and women tell these stories?

Oussama: I think it’s the same as when men tell the stories. There’s no difference. It’s the same skills and the same way of telling stories. Maybe we can find women who are better at telling the stories than men, but this is the first time that women have the opportunity to learn the stories.

Cafe Clock: Do you have memories of listening to the storytellers in Jema el-Fna’a?

Oussama: I didn’t go to Jema el-Fna’a square to listen to the storytellers because I’m not the kind of person with the patience to stand and listen. It’s the first time for me to hear most of the stories. But, my mom and aunt told me that when I was six years old I would invent my own stories. They say that I was a good storyteller. But, now my imagination isn’t the same… maybe education limits education.

Cafe Clock: Do you think you experience the stories differently than someone who heard them as a child?

Oussama: The stories are interesting. But, still I’m not a patient person. I can’t wait for a person to tell me a story–I prefer the effect of movies. The first time I tell a story, I expect that the audience might get bored like I do, which is why I’m working really hard to develop my technique for engaging and entertaining the audience.

Concerts at Clock represent traditional and modern or blend old and new for a funky hybrid that will have you dancing along side our waitstaff! Four nights of music each week promise something for everyone.

Sunday Sunset Concerts feature Gnawa music every week starting at around 6 p.m. Wednesday nights are an opportunity for visitors and locals to exchange riffs and beats starting around 7 p.m. during our weekly jam session. Saturday nights the Houariyat ladies turn the cafe in to a dance floor from 6 p.m. *Times Subject to change during summer and Ramadan.

All are welcome! Come to listen or dance along with the staff. Musicians are welcome to join our jam sessions and local bands who would like to be added to our Tuesday night roster, should email marrakech@cafeclock.com or speak to one of the Clock Crew.

The Moroccan tradition of hikayat, or storytelling, dates back almost 1,000 years. Some stories were recorded and other stories are passed orally. Today this form of entertainment in danger of becoming extinct. Previously, hikayat was found in cities throughout Morocco, but today Marrakech’s Jema el-Fna’a square is one of the last place to find the old stories and there are fewer and fewer storytellers. Cafe Clock offers a new venue and an opportunity for young Moroccans to train in this ancient art. Join us for live storytelling on Mondays and Thursdays at Cafe Clock Marrakech or contact us for a private storytelling performance at your riad or venue.

Private storytelling can be arranged

Master storyteller Ahmed Ezzarghani began collecting Morocco’s traditional fables during his youth a and 50 years later he is committed to passing Morocco’s oral tradition to the next generation. Today, Haj Ahmed trains a group of youth apprentices so that they may keep their rich Moroccan heritage alive.

Every Monday and Thursday at 7 pm, Haj Ahmed and his apprentices perform tales in Arabic and in English. The apprentices are volunteers dedicated to traditional folklore and whom are working hard to improve their English with every story they weave.

Our Clock chefs will share with you the traditional techniques and recipes that they learned from their mothers and grandmothers. This course begins with a shopping tour of the local souk. Gain firsthand experience in a Moroccan kitchen so that you can impress others with your knowledge of Moroccan spicing and flavours.

Access the tones absent from Western music under the guidance of master musician, Imad, during a private oud lesson. Oud provided.

Calligraphy is an ancient art predating Islam. Private and group lessons by arrangement. Bamboo quills and papers are provided.

Over a mint tea during ‘Kech Download, a Marrakshi staff member will give you an insider’s perspective on Moroccan culture, customs and language so that you can better understand Marrakech.

Connect With The Clock

Concerts at Clock represent traditional and modern or blend old and new for a funky hybrid that will have you dancing along side our waitstaff! Four nights of music each week promise something for everyone. Sunday Sunset Concerts feature Gnawa music every week starting at around 6 p.m. Wednesday nights are an opportunity for visitors…

The Moroccan tradition of hikayat, or storytelling, dates back almost 1,000 years. Some stories were recorded and other stories are passed orally. Today this form of entertainment in danger of becoming extinct. Previously, hikayat was found in cities throughout Morocco, but today Marrakech’s Jema el-Fna’a square is one of the last place to find the old stories…

To join a course or organize a private course, please contact marrakech@cafeclock.com or enquire at Cafe Clock. Our Clock chefs will share with you the traditional techniques and recipes that they learned from their mothers and grandmothers. This course begins with a shopping tour of the local souk. Gain firsthand experience in a Moroccan kitchen…

A Marrakshi on staff will teach you all you need to know about local traditions. Dive into Moroccan culture through a 90-minute workshop with a member of the Clock Crew, who will teach you Moroccan phrases, common gestures, mealtime etiquette and religious customs. This dynamic course will be tailored to your particular interests. ‘Kech Download offers…